Caught On Camera: Sacramento Police Surrounded And Attacked At Violent Sideshow

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Police officers responding to an illegal sideshow were surrounded and attacked.

A hostile crowd can be seen throwing rocks and fireworks during the incident on August 30. Officers said this happened at the intersection of Rio

Linda Boulevard and Eleanor Avenue in North Sacramento.

"They were met with a pretty hostile crowd throwing objects at the vehicles Including fireworks. [They were] kicking the vehicles, taunting officers," said Karl Chan, a spokesperson for Sacramento Police Department.

A police helicopter that monitoring the crowd was targeted by multiple lasers.

"Those are extremely dangerous in and of themselves but lasers can blind anybody and are known to cause permanent eye damage," Chan said.

Chan said officers made three arrests in this incident and there's another sideshow planned this weekend. Sideshows in Sacramento and the Bay Area are becoming increasingly dangerous.

"You have people that are in the roadway. You have people that are extremely close to vehicles that are doing donuts in the roadway and sometimes they can lose control and go into the crowd," Chan said.

Many departments are cracking down hard. Earlier this year, Stockton Police issued 70 citations and towed 24 cars that were involved in a sideshow in the middle of a Lowe's parking lot.

Officers call it a dangerous diversion that could result in criminal charges -- even if you're just watching.